USS Leahy (DLG-16)
The USS Leahy ( DLG-16/CG-16 ) was a guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy and lead ship of the Leahy - class
History
The Leahy in 1958 was commissioned and placed the end of 1959 at Bath Iron Works in Kiel. After one and a half years building the ship was launched and was put into service in August 1962.
The Leahy led first tests in the Caribbean, on completion of which they started off their home port in Charleston (South Carolina). There, the ship was the flagship of the Cruiser - Destroyer Flotilla 6 until mid- 1964 was followed by further testing. In July 1964, followed by the first use, as part of the battle group led by the USS Forrestal (CVA -59 ) drove the Leahy to the Mediterranean where she participated in several maneuvers by the Navy and NATO. End of the year also ended the mission in 1965 were carried out further tests, of 28 April, the Leahy served until May 7, also in front of the Dominican Republic.
In late 1965 they released the William V. Pratt (CG -13 ) from the Mediterranean, where they carried out further maneuvers. This lasted until April 1966, the remainder of the ship spent with training rides as well as the maneuver UNITAS VII in the Caribbean, which was followed by a circumnavigation of the South American continent.
As of early 1967, the ship began an overhaul in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, during which the weapons systems have been modernized. On May 4, 1968 was followed by initial tests, on 21 August came the Leahy in her new home port in Norfolk. The next 12 months were spent testing, from the end of July 1969, the Leahy at UNITAS X part. Began in 1970 with other maneuvers on the way to a missile exercise with USS John F. Kennedy (CV -67) and USS Belknap (CG -26), the ships were diverted and launched a high-speed cruise to the Mediterranean, where began a civil war in Jordan. The use lasted until mid- 1971. 1972 was followed by the fourth Betting ride in Central European waters. End of the year followed by a minor overhaul, 1973 marked exercises.
In 1974, another trip to the Mediterranean, this time for exercises and maneuvers on the side of USS America (CV -66). 1975 was followed by a trip to the Mediterranean Sea and a visit to Leningrad, after the sixth trip to the Mediterranean. Middle of the ship of DLG -16 was reclassified to CG -16. The sixth was the last ride of the Leahy to the Mediterranean, because at the beginning of 1976, the cruiser moved to San Diego, California and went to the Pacific Fleet. In September, the ship then another overhaul at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which took a year began. The second half of 1977 was accordingly spent with test drives. 1978 only followed an exercise in the Pacific ( RIMPAC ), the first use drive where they ran upon departure from Yokosuka aground and had to be repaired in the local shipyard. The year spent with the ship exercises with USS Constellation ( CV-64 ). In February 1979, the Leahy docked again in San Diego.
In 1980 the Leahy of Pearl Harbor on 80 RIMRAC part and starts in May their second insert trip in the Pacific, which led among other things to the United States Naval Base Subic Bay and Singapore. In September, the cruiser USS Midway guarded (CV -41) and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN -69 ) during the hostage-taking in Tehran. At the end of the Leahy finally sailed into the Gulf and served as an air defense ship off the coast of Saudi Arabia. On December 4, 1980, the ship reaches San Diego. In 1981 a modernization of weapons, including Leahy received in the Long Beach Naval Shipyard eight AGM -84 Harpoon.
1983 moved the Leahy again, among other things, she visited Hong Kong once more in 1984 with USS Carl Vinson (CVN -70 ), where they, among other things also drove in the Persian Gulf in 1985. August 1986 was followed the next Pacific trip, again with Carl Vinson. After overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard.
After further drives the Leahy took part again in 1992 at RIMPAC, their eighth and final installation began in December and led the cruiser to Somalia, where they (CV -63 ) Operation Restore Hope Compatible with USS Kitty Hawk. At the beginning of 1993 she moved to the Persian Gulf.
On 1 October of the year, Leahy was decommissioned and assigned to the reserve fleet in Suisun Bay the. There, the ship was until 2004, when it was towed to Beaumont (Texas ) and there interrupted by the International Ship Recycling.